US678835A - Voting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 678,835. Patnted luly l6, mm.

W. m. DELAVAN & w. FENN.

VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 10, 1901.)

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(Application filed May 10, 1901.)

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Patented July I6, I90l. w. m. DELAYAN & w. L. FENN. VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 10, 1901.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

WILLARD M. DELAVAN, OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, AND WILSON L. FENN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SBECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,835, dated July 16, 1901.

Application filed May 10, 1901. Serial No. 59,667. (No model.)

will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to voting-machines wherein the voting is-done by press-keys; and its objects are to enable a vote so cast to be recalled at any time before the Voting operation is completed and when completed to afford means for restoring the used keys to voting position.

In those machines where the depression of a key instantly records a vote a voter is deprived of that facility and privilege of altering his first choice afforded by the ordinary paper ballots, but by this invention the difficulty is removed.

Briefly stated, the depression of a presskey pushes backward a section of a chain behind the key, the key also remaining depressed. If the voter having depressed the key set against the name of a particular candidate for a particular oflice chooses at any time before he leaves the machine to alter his vote for that office he presses the key against the name of his new choice. That pushes backward the section of chain behind the key newly pressed and at the same time straightens the chain-section behind the former depressed key, which is therefore thrown back into voting position. As in a machine of this kind there is no record or registration of the balloting of a voter until he separates himself irrevouably from the machine and as no more than one key for a single office can remain depressed at the same time, it follows that the utmost libertyin changing his mind is afforded the voter.

When the voter has completed his vote and is ready to depart, there are as many keys and chain-sections depressed as the votes he has finally cast. To restore these to position for the next voter, the depressed chain-sections are to be simultaneously struck by projections on a movable carriage within the machine, thus throwing out all the depressed keys. To insure the movement of the carriage, lever mechanism is provided which the voter must operate in making his departure.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein the same letters represent the same parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of the standards fitting in the face of themachine, which carry the press-keys and chain; Fig. 2,a side ele- Vation thereof; Fig. 3, a rear elevation thereof; Fig. 4, a vertical section thereof, correspondent to the second figure, with portions in elevation and the lower part of the standard broken away; Fig. 5, a plane View of one of the couplers forming one of the elements of the chain; Fig. 6, asideelevation thereof; Fig. 7, a plane view of one pair of the links forming the other element of the chain; Fig. 8, an interior side elevation of one link; Fig. 9, a perspective of one of the pins used'for adjusting the chain in the standard; Fig. 10. a perspective of coupler and links united; Fig. 11, a front elevation of the machine-case and its supports; Fig. 12, a perspective of a part of the carriage; Fig. 13, a front elevation of a part thereof with the machine-ease in section, and Fig. 14 a perspective of the lever mechanism for moving the carriage.

The letter A, as in Fig. 11, designates the front part of the frame of an ordinary votingbooth as seen from the interior. The righthand post a as one fronts the booth from outside has a pair of hinge-bases 1), upon which to hang and swing the machine as a screen. The left-hand post 0 has an ordinary latchstrike d to engage the common spring doorlatch, with which the machine is to be provided, to fasten the voter within the booth.

The letter B, as in Figs. 11 and 13, designates the machine-case, its front e being openfaced inorder to be fitted with the customary press-keys and with the plates to bear the names of the parties, offices, and candidates. At regular intervals along the open front are vertical standards 0, (more fully shown in the first four figures of the drawings,) provided with cylinders f, in which the presskeys D move. The cylinders are open at the front and are of proper diameter to be loosely filled by the press-keys. In the closed backs of the cylinders are centrally-placed orifices g, through which pass the stems h of the presskeys. The rear of each standard is formed into a series of backwardly-projeeting brackets 'i in pairs, alternating with the press-key cylinders, so that each cylinder comes between two pairs of brackets. Through the side of each bracket, near the end, is a lengthwise slot 70, the slots of each pair of brackets being in the same vertical plane, so as to be readily traversed by a long pin Z, which plays up and down in the pair of slots. The space between the two lines of brackets is occupied by a chain E, which extends the whole length of the standard. Beginning at the top m of the standard, above which the top pair of brackets is elevated to make room for the cylinder of the top press-key, the chain commences with a pair of round-ended twin links 01, (shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 10,) pivoted within the top pair of brackets by one of the long pins Z, passing through them and through the bracket-slots. As no vertical play is intended for this top pair of links, a screwp is driven into one of the brackets beneath the pin, as shown in Fig. 2, to hold the pin to the top of the bracket-slots. The bottom part of each link is to be cut away on the inner face, as shown in Figs. 7 and 10, forming a shoulder r, of concave form. The bottoms of each pair of links project below the bottoms of the pair of brackets to which it is pivoted. Between the second pair of brackets, counting from the top and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and between the pair of links in that pair of brackets, is a couplers, the head of which, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 10, is cut away on each side to form a pair of concave shoulders 15 and is then prolonged upward into a pair of round ended arms a, the outer surfaces of which are cut away to form another pair of concave shoulders w, so that when the upper pair of links and the coupler are brought to an overlap at their extremities, as shown in Fig. 10, the recesses formed by this cutting away fit together without increasing thickness by the overlap, and the rounded ends can work within the concave shoulders r and w of links and coupler. By means of short pins 3 the links and coupler are pivoted together at the overlaps. The round-top ends of the links within the second pair of brackets turn within the concave shoulders 15, near the head of the coupler. The bottom ends of the links in this second pair of brackets are engaged by the arms of the coupler within the third pair of brackets, and so the chain is continued down through the whole series of brackets till it ends, as shown in Fig. 3, with one of the couplers. The bottom pair of brackets is projected below the bottom 2 of the standard to make room for the lowest press-key cylinder. This projection of the top and bottom pairs of brackets of each standard, however, is a mere matter of juc gment, as the front of the standard might be lengthened; but that would require the vertical dimension of the opening in the front of the machine-case to be greater than otherwise necessary for the insertion of the standards. A coupler is not needed between the top pair of chain-links, as there is nothing above for it to engage; but as it is preferable for those links to be kept steady and as free as the rest of the chain from sidewise motion in practice a coupler with arms broken off is inserted be tween them at their top, as shown in Fig. 3, merely serving as a spreader of those two links.

It is to be understood, of course, that links and couplers are properly punctured for the passage of the pins Z and y, by which links and couplers are pivoted to each other and to the brackets; but to give more backward play to the chain the puncture in the coupler is enlarged into a lengthwise slot 0, as shown in Figs. 6 and 10, passing sidewise through the head of the coupler.

Although the chain is no longer than the set of brackets in which it is contained, the pivoting of its links and couplers and the play of the long pivot-pins Z in the slots 71'; and respectively, of brackets and couplers enable enough chain-sections to be depressed backward at the same time to answer all the requirements of the press-keys on one and the same standard. The depression is effected by pressing the proper keys, as shown in Fig. 2, and the end of each key-stem is preferably enlarged into a wrist a to bear better upon the proximate chain section in forcing it backward, so that the key may be and remain depressed.

Upright press-key votinganachines are usually made with as much vertical dimension as convenience will permit, so as to restrain their otherwise excessive width and reduce the distance to be traveled by a voter in operating the keys. It therefore happens that any of the standards 0, as readily seen in Fig. 1, will carry more press-keys than are needed for the rival candidates for one and the same office. The surplus keys must be made available for other offices and their candidates. A voter, too, must be guarded against voting for two or more rival candidates for the same office, even by accident.

Let it be supposed that there are four rival candidates for the office of governor. That would require the use of four keys, and let them be assumed as the four upper keys. The top part of the chain being pivotally held by the screw in the upper ends of the slots of the top pair of brackets, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to have no play in those slots, one of the tapered pins 1) (shown in Fig. 9) is passed into the aperture 0 in the face of the stand ard (shown in Fig. 1) next below the fourth press-key. It is inserted in the hole at in one of the front faces 6 of the fifth pair of brackets down from the top, passing under the long pin, traversing the slots of that pair of brack ets, as shown in Fig. 2, and cutting it ofi from downward play. A face for the hole d is formed by making the brackets less thick at their front than at their rear, the rear parts, as shown in Fig. 3, being thick and therefore close enough together to enable the inner faces f of the brackets to keep the chain between them from sidewise movement. The holes d are preferably pierced clear through from the front to the rear faces g of the brackets, so that when the standards are out of the machine and being adjusted for service the pins 1) may be inserted at the rear as a more convenient operation; but these pins, as shown play, such play above the fifth pair of brackets is confined to the long pins in the slots of the second, third, and fourth pairs of brackets. Consequently if any of the four upper keys should be depressed, as a vote for the office of governor, according to the hereinbefore supposition, the depression of the fifth key or any below it, as a vote upon some other ofiice, would not throw back the former depressed key, because the long pin in the fifth pair of brackets would not be pulled down by the pressing in of the fifth or any lower key, it being looked, as appears in Fig. 2, in the top of the slots of the fifth pair of brackets; but if the second key were depressed, as a vote for governor, as shown in Fig. 2, and the voter should change his mind and then press the first, third, or fourth key the pull on the long pins free in the slots of the second, third, and fourth pairs of brackets would straighten the first-depressed chain-section and throw back the first-used key. Suppose now that the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth keys down are to be used in voting upon four candidates for the office of lieutenant-governor. The long pin in the slots of the pair of brackets next below the eighth key, being the ninth pair down, would be securedto the top of those slots in the manner already indicated, and as shown in Fig. 2, and those four keys would be cooperative among themselves only.

In county and other municipal elections it sometimes happens that a voter is entitled to vote for two or even three commissioners or supervisors or trustees or whatever else may be the double or triple headed municipal ofties. If triple-headed, at least six press-keys and possibly nine or more would be needed to supply voting-keys for the rival sets of candidates. Whatever the number of keys, that number would be isolated in precisely the same way as the keys already supposed to be alloted in sets of four to votes for governor and lieutenant-governor. Within the limits of any isolated set of keys the pivot and slot plays afford abundant slack of chain to admit the depression of as many keys as may be lawfully depressed as one vote, whether for a single or multiple office. The slack is usually excessive, because lno'st of the offices voted for are single-headed, and unless the slack be adjusted it might result in two or more. votes being accidentally cast for a single office. The adjustment is made in the following way:

In the head of each coupler s is a hole '5, (well shownin Figs. 5 and 10,) formedthrough from front to rear, preferably, so as to be reached either from front or rear of the standard, like the holes (1 of the brackets. Normally each of these coupler-holes is stopped by one of the tapered pins 19, thus wedging the coupler upon the long pin Z, traversing brackets, links, and coupler, preventing any slot play of the coupler upon that pin and reducing the backward play of the chain to the pivotal action of the chain-links and the'upand-down motion of the long pin in the bracket-slots. The pins 6 and the holes 4) may be screw-threaded, if preferred; but any machinist can avoid that necessity by properly wedging the pin in place. Now go back to the described arrangement for voting for lieutenant-governor, which uses the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth press-keys down from the top. As already explained, that set of four keys has been isolated from the keys above and below the set and the four keys made cooperative among themselves by the pins inserted in the bracket-holes next below the fourth and eighth press-keys. As the office is a single-headed one, it will suffice to remove the wedging-pin from one of the coupler-heads contained between the fifth and eighth pairs of brackets, leaving the three other couplers wedged upon the long pins, as already described. That will give slot play to the released coupler, will enable the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth press-key down to be fully depressed, and will insure its being thrown back by the depression of any other of the four keys constituting the set. If the vote should be for two trustees or for three commissioners, then two or three couplers, as the case may be, should be unwedged within the set, so that the necessary two or three press-keys could be and remain depressed at the same time.

From what has been said it will now be understood that the holes d in the brackets are to enable the press-keys in a single standard to be arranged in independent sets for two or more offices, whether single or multiple headed, and that the holes '6 in the couplers are to enable the portion of chain cooperating with any set of keys to be made just flexible enough to do its proper work.

When the voter has finished, there are as IIO many depressed keys as the votes he has cast. They are now to be restored to position for use by the next voter.

Within the machine-case is a tall long thin open-frame carriageF, as shown in Fig. 11, the normal position of which is toward the left as one faces the machine. It has wheels 7c at its four corners, and these run in grooved tracks Z, supported in the machine-case. The frame of the carriage consists partly of horizontal bars 071, enough of which is shown in Fig. 11 and the rest omitted, and on these are front-projected strikes to, with their righthand edges 0, as shown in Fig. 12, formed into long bevels directed to the right. The number and the horizontal planes of the strike-carrying bars and the number and the vertical planes of the strikes are such that there is a strike for every press-key in the machine. While the carriage is normal these strikes are to the left of the press-keys, as indicated in Fig. 11; but when the carriage is moved from left to right the beveled edges of the proper strikes come simultaneously and respectively in contact with the chain-sections forced back by depressed keys, and by straightening these bends in the chain the strikes restore the keys to voting position. The unemployed strikes of course clear the already straight parts of the chain. At the right-hand end of the carriage, as shown in Figs. 11 and 14:, there is a bar 13, pivoted to the carriage, and its other end pivoted to a lever r, rigid on the stem 3 of the door-handle G, by which the voter, turning that handle to the right, disengages the common spring door-latch, of which it forms a part, from the latch-strike cl on the boothframe post, and so permits his exit from the booth. The turn of the latch-handle G to the right moves the fixed lever r in the same direction, thus pulling the pivoted harp, and so drawing the carriage to the right and cansing the strikes a to straighten the chain-bend and throw out the depressed press keys. When the departing voter lets go the latchhandle, it returns to its normal position, like the handle of any spring door'latch, and a spiral spring a, supported at the right-hand end of the machine-case and with its outer end bearing upon the right-hand end of the carriage, having been compressed by the forward movement of the carriage, as shown in Fig. 13, now throws the carriage back into normal position by the relaxation of the spring. As a matter of course the machinecase B must have a pair of hinge-pins or slots by which to hang and swing it upon the hingebases provided on the booth-frame post, as indicated in Fig. 11; but there is no necessity for particularly describing them.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim the following:

1. The standard provided with open-front, rear-oriiiced cylinders and with apertures, in the face thereof, and formed into backwardlyprojecting, lengthwise slotted brackets in pairs, with a pin-hole through one front face of eachpair; all substantially as described, and for the purpose of containing and permittin g the operation of a set of machine-voting press-keys.

2. The standard provided with open-front, rear-orificed cylinders and with apertures, in the face thereof, and formed into backwardlyprojecting, lengthwise-slotted brackets in pairs, with a pin-hole through one front face of each pair, in combination with the chain formed of recessed and shouldered links in pairs, and of doubleshouldered, doublearmed, side-slotted, front-orificed couplers pivotally connected to said links; the said standard and chain further combined with long pins adapted to traverse the slots of brackets and couplers, with short pins adapted to pivotally connect the couplers and links, and with tapering pins adapted to fit the pinholes of the brackets and the front orifices of the couplers, and the said chain being adjustably supported by and between the brackets forming part of the standard; all substantially as hereinbefore described, for the purpose of containing and permitting the operation of machine-voting press-keys when arranged in sets in said standard.

3. The combination of a standard provided with open-front, rear-orificed cylinders and with apertures, in the face thereof,and formed into backwardly-projecting, lengthwise-slotted brackets in pairs, with a pin-hole through one front face of each pair; recessed and shouldered links in pairs; double-shouldered, double-armed,side-slotted front-orificed couplers pivotally connected to said links, and said links and couplers pivotally supported by and within said brackets; long pins traversing the slots of brackets and couplers; short pins connecting said links and couplers; tapering pins fitted to the pin-holes of said brackets and the front orifices of said couplers, and stemmed press-keys movably contained within the cylinders of the aforesaid standard, and projecting rearwardly through the orifices of said cylinders, and bearing against said pivotallyconnected links and couplers; all substantially as hereinbefore described, for the purpose of permitting the depression and return of said press-keys in the operation of a voting-machine.

4. The combination in a voting-machine of asuitably-supported,outwardly-swinging and open-front case; an upright carriage within said case, having wheels at the four corners thereof and a series of horizontal bars fitted with beveled strikes; grooved tracks supported in the machine-case and fitting the wheels of said carriage; a throw-back spring attached to said machine-case and bearing against said carriage; a pull-bar pivotally at tached to the right-hand end of said carriage; a lever pivotally attached to said pull-bar, and rigidly attached to the stem of an ordinary spring door-latch fitted to the righthand end of the aforesaid machine-case and adapted to latch the same to its supports; a right or forward turning handle also rigidly attached to the said latch-stem; a series of vertical standards fitted to the open front of the aforesaid machine-case and each having a series of rearwardly-projecting brackets in pairs, and a chain consisting of a series of alternating and pivoted links and couplers, pivotally supported by and between said brackets, and having a rearward bend by sections thereof; the whole substantially as herein described, for the purpose of restoring the bent sections of said chain to their normal vertical position within the series of brackets by the movement of the aforesaid carriage from left to right upon a turn of the handle fixed to the aforesaid latch-stem.

In testimony whereof we aftix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLARD M. DELAVAN. WILSON L. FENN.

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